exaggeration
Americannoun
-
the act of exaggerating or overstating.
-
an instance of exaggerating; an overstatement.
His statement concerning the size of his income is a gross exaggeration.
Other Word Forms
- nonexaggeration noun
- overexaggeration noun
- self-exaggeration noun
Etymology
Origin of exaggeration
1555–65; < Latin exaggerātiōn- (stem of exaggerātiō ), equivalent to exaggerāt ( us ) ( exaggerate ) + -iōn- -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kristina Kausch, a researcher at the German Marshall Fund, said it would be an exaggeration to speak of the end of the alliance.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Epidemiologist Abby Lippman dubbed such exaggeration of what genes do “geneticization,” and Ball calls geneticization a “hair’s breadth away from eugenics.”
From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026
In “Anomalisa,” Noonan was credited with playing “Everyone Else” — and that wasn’t an exaggeration.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
Seyfried’s performance is, no exaggeration, one of the finest and most mesmerizing turns any actor has given across the thriller genre.
From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026
A tendency to exaggeration was a Roman trait.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
